Reasons to be Pretty Sashane Perera on Bringing Neil LaBute’s Play to Life

In a world where appearances often dictate worth, Reasons to be Pretty by Neil LaBute cuts through the façade, exposing the raw and uncomfortable truths about self-perception and identity. Directed by Sashane Perera from StageLight&Magic and produced by Denham Hakel and Dinesh Maheswaran, the play runs from March 27th to 30th, 2025, at the Punchi Theatre, Borella. With a stellar cast featuring Kanishka Herat, Dilini Fox, Tracy Jayasinghe, and Isira Edussuriya, Sashane reflects on what drew him to this bold and unfiltered piece — and the emotional journey of bringing it to life.

I’ve read a few of his plays. This play is a part of a trilogy and thematically revolves around society’s obsession with beauty. I felt that it was a timeless subject. 

I worked alongside my cast to delve into each character’s emotional arch. Whilst the script is complex, at the core, all characters represent someone we know. 

As a society, we identify people based on physicality. Growing up in an all-boys school environment, this was very apparent. We rarely think of the impact on the person.

The casting process was one on one. I didn’t have open auditions. I worked with different actors individually or in pairs. For me, the chemistry of the pairs was very important for this play.

It’s been a lot of fun. I’m getting back to doing a rollercoaster ride script like this after a while. Having done three musicals back to back and stand-up comedy, it was a switch for me to look at this content. Building on characters such as this takes time. Time is my only challenge, having a full-time job.

My objective is to hold a mirror in front of the audience. I’d like them to see themselves in these scenarios. Conceptually, I’m trying to keep the settings abstract so they can superimpose themselves at any given point.

Photo credit: by Jeeves